Tested: RST Roadster II motorcycle gloves review

Date reviewed: September 2019 | Tested by: Steve Lamb | Price: £39.99 | www.rstmoto.com

I've been wearing these RST Roadster II CE Gloves for around four months on a variety of bikes including a Vespa GTS300, Honda CBR650R, Kawasaki Z400, KTM 790 Adventure and my own Ducati Scrambler.

I've racked up over 2,000 miles in that time in range of temperatures from around 10° to 30°C+, though, due to the summer nature of these gloves, not in the rain.

Fit and feel

The fit of gloves is of course purely subjective, but the fit of the RST Roadster II gloves is extremely good for me. I often find fingers a little too long but I have no such trouble with these. The fit around the rest of the hand is a little tighter than some other gloves I've worn but not uncomfortably so and the soft supple leather ensures that there are no frictions points.

With an analine waxed cow hide outer, the Roadsters are soft and pliable right from the start and soon mould to your individual hand shape. Despite being double layer thickness over the some of the palm, the panels are limited to the heel and inner knuckle areas, ensuring that they provide great feel and feedback across the centre of the palm, when on the bike.

Warm and cold weather use

As a retro glove aimed at casual (mostly summertime) use, these gloves are fairly light on features and so ventilation is minimal (ie none). Despite this, I find them a great choice for my early morning commutes when the temperatures are just into double figures, and equally comfortable on the way home when the temperatures have risen.

Protection and certification

The gloves are CE marked to EN13594:2015 Level 1 and also provide knuckle protection in the form of a bio-elastane insert (a polymer similar to D3O), which provides shock and abrasion resistance to the knuckles, while maintaining comfort.

The glove outers have strategically placed double layer sections in the places most likely to touch down in the event of an off – along the outer edge and little finger, heel of the hand and across the top of the palm.

From April 21 2018, all new motorcycle clothing is deemed to be Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). To meet this legislation, it must be tested to a recognised standard. For more information on the law, click here.

Fastening

Fastening of the RSTs is via a strap and popper across the top of the glove. While providing some security, the strap has only one fastening position and I personally prefer a Velcro strap that allows a greater range of adjustment. On the underside of the gloves a large Velcro tab allows adjustment of the cuff around your sleeve.

While providing enough closure and adjustment to stop the gloves moving around when in use, I found it too easy to pull them off with both closures fastened and this worries me that in the event of a crash, any sliding action would also remove them.  An extra popper to allow additional closure would have solved this issue, which seems a major oversight from RST.

Wet weather use

The RST Roadster IIs are a summer glove, so aren’t waterproof.

As with any leather product, if your gloves do get wet don’t try to force them dry with heat – just leave them to dry naturally or the leather could crack. For more information on leather care, click here.

Lining

The RST Roadster IIs have a fixed comfort mesh inner lining (to the backs only) meaning that it won't pull out when taking them off sweaty or wet hands. Despite being only a partial lining, even after a full day of riding I found that the gloves leave no fluff or dye transfer to my hands.

Conclusion

While this particular colour choice might not be to everyone's taste (they are also available in dark brown and black though), if you’re looking for stylish retro-styled gloves that are comfortable for regular use and convenient enough for quick blasts, then you should take a look at the RST Roadster IIs, but my main concern is the fastening, which is weak and would worry me in the event of an off.